Speaking at the introductory event for the company's new carrier-class router, Chambers said Tuesday that Cisco is readying new products across its entire spectrum of technologies, and aims to be the market leader in every segment it participates in.

"We want to be the product leader in not one or two areas, but 10, 15 or 20," Chambers said. Chambers also promised a slew of new products from Cisco over the next 12 months, though he did not provide any specifics.

"You will see more innovation from Cisco in the next 12 months than you have in the last few years," Chambers said. "We will have more product introductions by a factor of twofold."

Tuesday's event, which began with a nod toward the company's founding 20 years ago, was the live component to a wide marketing push for the new carrier-class router, called the Carrier Routing System, or CRS-1. According to Chambers, Cisco's new router represents "the biggest jump we've ever taken in innovation since the router was introduced 20 years ago."